"Stepping on eggshells" is an introductory skill in cultivation's light body technique. It involves laying cracked eggshells on the ground and then leaping and jumping on them. The one who breaks the most eggshells or breaks them first loses.
For someone like Yue Sheng, who has a foundation in cultivation, this skill is really nothing. Yue Sheng instinctively felt that the master was favoring him by indirectly punishing Gao Cang, that silly guy, so he readily agreed.
However, when they arrived at the martial arts arena, Yue Sheng was dumbfounded.
It turned out that those eggshells were floating in two large pots set up, and the pots were filled with boiling hot water.
If one's light body technique is weak, the eggshells won't break underfoot, but the person might get almost cooked.
When Su Yi Shui ordered them to step on the eggshells, Gao Cang widened his eyes, took a deep breath, and silently used the light body technique to leap into the pot.
However, Yue Sheng hesitated for a long time and refused to jump in. He finally said, "I'll just admit defeat in this round and go copy the sect rules as punishment."
Before he could finish speaking, Gao Cang, on the other side, already lost his strength and fell into the pot with a splash. Just when everyone thought he would be screaming in pain from being scalded, Gao Cang looked pleasantly surprised and said, "Hey, why is this water only steaming but not scalding?"
Later, they found out that the water boiling in the two pots was the extreme yin water from the Ice Lotus Pond. Although it looked boiling hot, it was actually just warm.
Su Yi Shui then coldly said, "You always question why Gao Cang can be your senior disciple, right? He listens to the master without any doubt. Even with higher cultivation, you can't match his obedience."
In truth, Su Yi Shui didn't expect that big fool Gao Cang would just jump in without any hesitation at all. It seemed that what Xue Ranran said about her senior disciples wasn't exaggerated. Although their foundations were lacking, they were all naturally kind-hearted and loyal.
So, these few seemingly useless disciples finally showing some promise.
Yue Sheng knew he had shown weakness in this test, and his face, usually fair, turned slightly red with shame. He quietly went to copy the sect rules as punishment.
With this lesson serving as a warning, the conflicts between the new and old disciples came to an end, and everyone could practice peacefully together.
As for the mistake in the kitchen, given how "enthusiastic" the new disciples were, they were assigned all the cooking duties.
Anyway, Su Yi Shui had entered the stage of fasting and secluded cultivation again, cutting off contact with the outside world. So Ranran also had some free time now to focus on meditation with everyone else.
This time they went out, Su Yi Shui took all four of the senior disciples. Yue Sheng could come along was probably due to the connections from Yu Mountain. So, he also wanted to perform well and redeem himself from past shame.
However, as they descended the mountain, Xue Ranran noticed that the passing passers-by looked nervous, carrying machetes and similar weapons.
It was said that there had been many incidents of monsters harming people in the nearby mountains recently, so the passersby were always in groups of three to five and reluctant to travel alone, carrying handy defensive tools.
Xue Ranran thought of those ghost-headed spiders, realizing that many monsters had escaped from the netherworld this time.
After they had been traveling for a while, they started to see disciples from the three major sects. They all looked like they were in a hurry, heading in the same direction as Xishan's disciples.
Xue Ranran whispered to Su Yi Shui, "Are all these righteous disciples mobilized to hunt us?"
Su Yi Shui shook his head. "They should also be going to the Red Flame Mountain. There's something they want there too."
Xue Ranran remembered a passage she had read in the Fantian's records. She suddenly realized, "Now that monsters are rampant, the righteous disciples must want to suppress them quickly. Could it be that they want to find the Tempering Flame at the Red Flame Mountain?"
Back then, the powerful Dun Tian slaughtered the demon king in the Red Flame Mountain, leaving behind a true fire, which was said to be a seed of fire from refining the demon king's corpse. It had endured a hundred years without extinguishing and could cleanse demons and rectify evil.
However, this true fire only showed itself when there was a surge of evil spirits in the world.
With a large number of monsters escaping from the Netherworld gate now, it might be the time for this true fire to emerge. It was no wonder so many righteous disciples were rushing to the demonic Red Flame Mountain, a place they usually despised.
The Crimson Gate was adjacent to the Red Flame Mountain. This area was vast and sparsely populated. Further ahead was a barren zone, scorching hot during the day and chilling cold at night.
So, before entering the wasteland, they had to fill their water bags in preparation. While Xue Ranran was fetching water by a stream, she could see the fiery Red Flame Mountain ahead.
It was said that before the powerful Dun Tian ascended, he had annihilated everything on Red Flame Mountain, which was once a demon's lair. Because he had refined the demon king who killed his wife and children, the Red Flame Mountain spewed lava all year round, and the temperature around the mountain was exceptionally hot.
For some demonic cultivators, such temperatures were beneficial for cultivating their true qi, making it an ideal place for cultivation. That's why the Crimson Gate, belonging to the Fire Element, had thrived here for centuries.
However, it wasn't friendly to Ranran, who had a Yin wood elemental attribute. So, as soon as she reached the spring, she eagerly took off her shoes and socks, putting her feet into the water.
As the cool water rushed up, Ranran felt refreshed, just like a thirsty little tree that had found water again.
"What's wrong? Feeling uncomfortable again?"
Su Yi Shui's voice suddenly came from behind her. Ranran turned around and saw Su Yishui standing behind her.
Su Yi Shui frowned slightly at his female disciple impulsively taking off her shoes and socks.
Her feet were too fair, with toenails that weren't stained with Stellaria juice but still displayed a charming light pink color. A pretty girl's slender feet were enough to attract attention.
At least, those male disciples fetching water upstream seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally looking this way.
For the first time, Su Yi Shui felt that he had taken in too many male disciples. So, when he stood beside Ranran, his tall body naturally blocked the somewhat impudent gazes of his disciples.
Ranran didn't notice her master's private thoughts. She was still pondering some things she couldn't figure out, asking, "Shifu, do you think the true fire left by the powerful Dun Tian can really rid the world of evil spirits?"
However, Su Yi Shui didn't care much about these important worldly matters. He crouched down and felt her pulse.
For some unknown reason, Ranran needed more and more qi to replenish herself lately. Even if Su Yi Shui wanted to keep her around for now, he was worried that he couldn't supply enough qi just by himself.
Moreover, Ranran was already on guard whenever she sensed Su Yi Shui about to replenish her qi. "Shifu, if you're going to break into the Crimson Gate to save Elder Jiu, you must maintain your best condition. I'm fine, there's no discomfort, so please don't replenish my qi anymore!"
Ranran was afraid that Su Yi Shui would deplete his true qi at this critical juncture. This place wasn't at West Mountain; if he depleted his true qi, there wouldn't be enough time to sit and replenish it. So, she couldn't let Su Yi Shui deplete himself, lest he couldn't save himself in a crisis.
Su Yi Shui looked at her, feeling that his heart was being clutched again, even feeling an impulse to pull her into his arms.
In his opinion, he wasn't under the spell of any soul-cleansing talisman. It was clearly this little demoness who had placed a spell on him.
This made him increasingly eager to retrieve forgotten memories and figure out what was going on with himself.
Why was it that lately, he always stared blankly at this young girl's face, sometimes feeling a strange impulse when looking at her tender lips?
Even when he had nearly gotten engaged to Wen Hongshan before, he had always adhered to etiquette with her and never had such thoughts at all?
It was these wandering thoughts that made him absent-mindedly listen to Ranran's words. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you have someone you like?"
If he remembered correctly, he heard her mother Qiao Lian mention about arranging a marriage for her, and even arranged a few young suitors for her in the past.
Ranran didn't expect Su Yi Shui to suddenly change the topic like this and couldn't help but pause for a moment with a "Ah?" Su Yi Shui continued calmly, "Just as your mother said, you're not young anymore. If you don't have any, among the disciples in the same sect, do you have anyone you fancy?"
She paused, was just about to say no, before she stopped. What was going on with her Shifu? Did he want to arrange a marriage on behalf of her parents, from within their sect?
While there were many handsome seniors and juniors in the sect, Ranran felt it was best to just look and not have any other entanglements with them. So, when Su Yi Shui asked, she straightforwardly said, "…There is one, but he's not a fellow disciple. Please, Shifu, don't ask any further."
But as soon as she said this, Su Yi Shui's expression instantly turned sour, and he coldly said, "Who is it? Tell me, I'll check on him for you."
Ranran lowered her head, absentmindedly toyed with the water with her fair feet and slowly said, "He's just a person with a difficult personality… seems mature in appearance but actually quite childish … very petty and holds grudges, but he's very good to me…"
Su Yi Shui grew more and more annoyed as he listened, coldly saying, "You actually like such a person with no redeeming qualities? You can't find a decent man?"
Ranran burst into laughter and looked up at him, smiling brightly. "Yes, maybe he is not any good in the eyes of others, but in my heart, he's the best. I don't want anyone else!"
Su Yi Shui stood up abruptly. He had wasted enough time with this silly girl. He didn't want to listen to her nonsense anymore.
What kind of decent man could a fool like her be interested in, who could be swayed with a few sweet words? He was just bored and actually asked her such a stupid question!
The journey ahead was extremely oppressive and heavy for the disciples of Xishan. Su Yi Shui's face was as dark as ink, making everyone afraid to approach.
But no one could figure out what had upset Shifu so much. Qiu Xier asked Ranran, who also said she didn't know.
Because Su Yi Shui seemed unwilling to talk to her, and after being given the cold shoulder several times, Ranran stopped trying to engage him. Besides, with two uncle masters serving Su Yi Shui, she didn't need to approach.
During the journey, she chatted with her seniors and juniors to pass the time, deliberately distracting herself from sadness due to Su Yi Shui's cold treatment. Ranran was never one to dwell in sorrow for too long.
However, every time she was amused by Yue Sheng and Bai Baishan's antics and laughed out loud, she inadvertently turned her head and saw the sharp gaze Su Yi Shui cast her way…
Well, when Shifu was in a bad mood, disciples really shouldn't be laughing too loudly.
But as they continued forward, no one could laugh anymore. Yue Sheng accidentally stepped on the ground ahead and let out a cry of pain. It turned out that the ground in this desert, which they had to pass through, had inexplicably become scorching hot.
Shen Kuo crouched down, thinking aloud, "This is a sign of spiritual energy gathering. Places with concentrated heat often have nascent soul cultivators… Could Wei Jiu be preparing to ascend?"
Hearing this, Yue Sheng showed some urgency on his face. Wei Jiu was the most notorious demon after Mu Qingge. If he could subdue him, he would surely gain fame. Whether Yu Mountain could regain its former glory depended on Yue Sheng alone, so he naturally didn't want Wei Jiu to ascend after forming his nascent soul.
But Su Yi Shui coldly said, "His core formation is damaged; how could he form his nascent soul so quickly? This level of heat… is probably related to the Tempering Flame…"
However, it was best that they inquired about what had happened here from the locals. Near the Red Flame Mountain was a town called Red Flame Town. The town was desolate, with only one dilapidated inn.
As they approached, before Yue Sheng who was in the front could speak, an old man with a white beard who was making grass shoes at the door spoke first, "Are you all here to court death? If you have no business, leave quickly; otherwise, you won't be able to leave…"
Qiu Xier cautiously asked the old man, "Why? Is it very dangerous here?"
The old man half-lifted his head and said coldly, "You're not the first batch of people who came here to die. You probably won't listen to advice either. My inn only has one room left; do you want it?"
Now that the ground outside was scorching hot, if they couldn't ascend Red Flame Mountain today, they indeed needed a place to rest. However, both the inn and the old man seemed inexplicably strange, making them hesitant to move forward.
Just then, several people walked out of the inn. Leading them was Wealth God Wang Suizhi, and beside him were Qin Xuanjiu and others, with Mu Ranwu who was using her older sister's name, among them.
Mu Ranwu seemed much more energetic compared to the last time they have met, with much more vitality. However, although she had taken in so many orphan disciples, there weren't many with her at the moment.
Seeing Su Yi Shui and the others, Mu Ranwu paused slightly, then smiled again, "Why have all the disciples from Xishan come as well?"
She saw Su Yi Shui leading people and wasn't afraid.
Because she knew that he would act out of consideration for her sister. Even if he knew she was impersonating her, he wouldn't harm her. After all, he had promised her sister to take care of her.
Su Yi Shui felt guilty towards her sister, so no matter what excessive things she did, Su Yi Shui wouldn't really hold it against her…
Thinking of this, Mu Ranwu naturally greeted Su Yi Shui without fear.
But when Xue Ranran saw Mu Ranwu, she felt more complicated feelings in her heart. Although this woman who deceived and swindled might have been her younger sister in a past life, Ranran couldn't feel any sisterly affection for her now.
Seeing Wang Suizhi and Qin Xuanjiu and other disciples from her past life, being gathered around her, and recalling how Qin Xuanjiu had once cried bitterly because of his master's neglect, Ranran was really worried about these disciples.
Given Mu Ranwu's nature, she might be planning to use these disciples to do something.
Thinking of this, Xue Ranran coldly asked, "I wonder what Elder Mu is doing here?"
Qin Xuanjiu eagerly replied, "Recently, many demons have appeared everywhere, harming the common people. My Master is upholding justice, chasing demons along the way, and has come here. What about you all coming here?"
When Ranran heard about demons, her mind raced. "What kind of demons? Is it the Ghost-headed Spider?"
Qin Xuanjiu said, "Not just this kind; they are all netherworld demons. You, your master, and Wei Jiu once went into the Netherworld, secretly opened a rift, and released these demons! My Master had to clean up after you! From what I see, are you and Wei Jiu in cahoots? Is this intentional, to take advantage of chaos and expand Xishan's power?"
Recently, Xishan had been recruiting and had gained many new disciples, at the peak of popularity and making people wary.
Gao Cang immediately glared, "Nonsense! Our Shifu went to the Netherworld to return the Spirit Spring. If the Spirit Spring had remained in the human realm, it would have caused great calamity!"
Mu Ranwu smiled and said, "Alright, Xuanjiu, don't blame your senior brother. When he entered the Netherworld before, if he was unintentionally manipulated by Wei Jiu, it was also due to circumstances. I believe he didn't deliberately release those demons…"
She timed her words just right. Old Feng from the YiRen Hall brought a group of people out at this moment, and his Yin and Yang eyes were assessing the disciples of Xishan.
In addition, the top disciples of the three major sects also appeared one after another. No wonder the old man at the inn said they were fully booked; this small, run-down inn is housing many hidden talents from all over!
It turned out that during this time, incidents of demons harming people had occurred everywhere, and the Ghost-headed Spiders encountered by Xue Ranran was just the tip of the iceberg.
Even the capital, with strong Yang energy, had experienced anomalies. Every night, large bats would come out to suck blood.
These chaotic phenomena of demons running rampant were even worse than when the demon's son had secretly took the Spirit Spring out of the Netherworld.
Now that demons were multiplying, they would eventually become an uncontrollable disaster. So, the three major sects were invited by the YiRen Hall in the capital to come to Red Flame Mountain to search for the Tempering Flame that could suppress demons.
It was because of this seed of fire that the temperature and terrain around Red Flame Mountain were so different, with the ground beneath their feet being baked red.
However, no one knew exactly where this seed of fire was in Red Flame Mountain, not even its owner Wei Jiu.
So, everyone gathered here to force Wei Jiu to open the mountain gate and let them go find the true fire to drive away demons.
But they didn't expect that Su Yi Shui, the former demon son, would also bring his disciples here. Thinking that all these anomalies seemed to be related to Su Yi Shui taking the Spirit Spring out back then, everyone's anger vented towards the disciples of Xishan.
Mu Ranwu's words were clearly provocative, deliberately inciting the anger of the crowd.
But just as she finished speaking, Mu Ranwu noticed that something was off with Su Yi Shui's gaze, not the usual indifference but carrying a strong killing intent.
Before Mu Ranwu could react, Su Yi Shui had already attacked.
Mu Ranwu hurriedly raised her hand to activate her spirit shield to block, but Su Yi Shui's hand was like a blade, directly breaking through the spirit shield and fiercely gripping Mu Ranwu's neck.
Seeing him attack, Qin Xuanjiu rushed forward with his blade, but how could he be a match for Su Yi Shui?
But just then, two expressionless men suddenly appeared behind Mu Ranwu.
Their faces seemed sealed, their eyes not blinking at all, their hands turning Qi into blades as they attacked Su Yi Shui.
Their attacks were fierce and brutal, wrapped in a chilling killing intent.
Su Yi Shui naturally dodged, letting go and stepping back a few steps. Then, he narrowed his eyes he assessed the two strange men.
Mu Ranwu had been using Wei Jiu's methods during this time, absorbing the spiritual power of Yin children. She had thought that she had recovered enough. But she didn't expect Su Yi Shui's moves to be even more ruthless, leaving her no room to maneuver and putting her in a life-threatening situation.
Although she had finally managed to break free from the steel clamp-like grip of the big hand, with the help of her two followers behind her, her throat was already hoarse and she could hardly speak.
She staggered back, frustrated and angry, "You… you actually want to kill me? Have you forgotten…"
She wanted to say, "Have you forgotten that my sister entrusted me to you?" But now there were people around, and she still had to maintain Mu Qingge's persona, so she could only grit her teeth and endure it.
Su Yi Shui coldly said, "I hate it most when others accuse me falsely. What do these demons have to do with me? You're inciting trouble, such intentions deserve death!"
Mu Ranwu wanted to argue with him, but her neck was too painful, and her voice was hoarse like a duck's, so her eyes reddened with anger.
By the side, Xue Ranran watched, clutching her neck as if Su Yi Shui had not strangled Mu Ranwu, but her delicate neck instead.
See here, if it weren't for Mu Qingge doing so much for Su Yi Shui later on and moved him, this rebellious disciple would be a ferocious beast who could kill his master without any hesitation!
Even though she had been preparing for the possibility of dying weakly, due to insufficient true qi,
In her imagined scenario, it would be best to reunite with her parents, cook for them one last time, and then lie and tell them she was about to ascend to become an immortal and perhaps never seeing them again. She would then go to the flower sea she had visited with Shifu before. With fireflies dancing around her, she could quietly close her eyes and pass.
The thought of dying in Su Yi Shui's eyes full of hatred, this kind of death is not too wonderful.
Ranran made up her mind to tightly hold onto her current protective armor. She was the sister Mu Ranwu. She absolutely couldn't let Shifu discover right now that she was the past Mu Qingge!
Just then, an elder from the Kongshan Sect came out to mediate.
"Alright, we haven't figured out the cause of the rampant demons yet. Why raise such a big commotion? Su Yi Shui, didn't you come here to stay? Just go and get a room."
With this statement, she indirectly refuted Mu Ranwu's claim that the demons were released by Su Yi Shui.
Mu Ranwu knew that the three major sects wouldn't be manipulated by her like fools this time. She could only grit her teeth in frustration, clutching her neck, and retreated to her room.
After this chaos, Su Yi Shui finally booked the last room.
But the room was so small that even if everyone meditated all night, there wouldn't be enough space.
Ranran and Qiu Xier went downstairs to find some food and check if there were any extra blankets in the inn to lay on the floor. This way, meditating wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
As night fell, everyone went back to their rooms, setting up spiritual shields to keep to themselves. However, when she went downstairs, Ranran heard voices coming from the backyard.
Ranran looked out through the open window and saw Wang Suizhi talking to a young boy brought in. The boy looked weak and terrified.
"Lord, please spare me? Its rare that Master didn't take me for cultivation today. Please just pretend you didn't see me! If I stay, I will surely die!"